I work part-time at the Gap here in Tokyo, Japan. (I am originally from the states but I have lived in Japan for the last eight years.)I read, a lot.I work on my underground comics.I watch waaay too much TV, mostly animation.I hang out with my wife when we have the time.I try to paint as much as possible, sometimes Boba Fett such as my work in the fan art section.I try really hard to be positive about life and find ways to enjoy the short time that we have.

I live in Japan , and there are no guns allowed of any kind here. You can, with a great deal of difficulty, get a permit for a hunting/ sport rifle but the police regulate the flow of those weapons so that citizens usually do not have constant access the their own rifles. They keep them in a lock up and you have to check the rifle out over the weekend etc. Just as in other countries with the same policy this does not stop violent crime from happening. Yes, the violent crime rates are lower here but people back in the states only get the news of crime in Japan when it is something really big. There is a lot of petty, dangerous, crime here all the time. Teens go around stabbing strangers in crowds. One guy drove a van through a big crowd of people and then jumped out and started stabbing the few people still standing. I live in a very controlling society. It is so bad here that people just snap all the time from the pressure to conform. Again, it's not in the international news a lot but it is here in the local news.

SO what I am getting at is that this topic is an issue of degree and balance. The degree to which we are willing as a society to allow for personal freedoms, such as the right to own automatic weapons and the balance that we have to strike between that and public safety. But as others have mentioned above, it's not the honest citizen who is going to the gun shop and buying guns who is then going out and killing people with them, it's people who are criminals. And, I have to agree that it should not matter if you NEED an automatic weapon or not, if we, want to live in a free country it has to be totally free, you can't have it both ways.

When I was growing up in California I felt safer at night in the city than I do here in Japan in certain places. Because here, ONLY, the criminals have guns. And, if we start banning guns in the states that's what will happen, only the criminals will have access to them.

I went to the one here in Tokyo where I live. I am from the states but I have been living in Japan for a while.

I started a thread about the Tokyo con. and I went on about how terrible it was. Outside of getting Jeremy's signature and a photo with him I really did not have a very good time. However, others said they loved it and that they thought it was great. I guess it depends on what you go in expecting. I was probably expecting too much. However, one of the vendors who had been to every SW con so far said that the Tokyo one was the smallest and least interesting.

I'm actually glad they didn't show anymore of Boba's past. I liked the mystery and I think the prequels kind of wrecked that. Fine have another Mando but they didn't have to make them a direct relative of Boba. Seemed too convenient to me.

There are far too many older religious traditions for me to believe exclusively in a god that developed out of a cultural tradition covering a few hundred square miles in what we today call the Middle East. The Bible, as we have it today, is an edited, translated, re-edited, collection of documents complied by humans over several hundred years. We owe a lot of modern christianity to the Councils of Nicea, (read a book), the fact that anyone can believe in either God or evolution without direct experience of either makes me suspicious of human psychology in general. Scientifically, the biggest problem with both positions is that you can't falsify either of them. You can't test, in a controlled experiment, God's existence. Likewise, evolution is a process, not an event. You can't see evolution happening, by definition, "change over time."

SO, my position is that I am going to have to be CONVINCED either way. Right now I am leaning toward evolution because we have a fossil record that supports some aspects of the theory, whereas, the Bible pretty much only supports itself. But I feel it is foolish to completely discount the possibility of God, that's also unscientific.

"Though Jango died long before his time, he would, from a certain point of view, live on forever not only through Boba Fett, but also the millions of his clones that went on to serve the Republic and, for the most part, continued to serve the new Galactic Empire until the Battle of Endor.[19]"

I just checked starwars.com and they don't have jack on the history of the STs.

So I am wondering where everyone is getting their info? I don't follow the games and the comics and such so I am lost about that stuff.Where are you guys getting the idea that all of the Fett clones were gone by the original movies?

Don't mean to get picky here, and I don't know really what source is considered official but, again, on the Wookieepedia page I site in the first post is states:

"By 0 BBY, about one-third of the stormtroopers originated from the Fett DNA, though most of them were recruits.[3]"

I'm not sure really what to make of this statement given the posts above.

Technically, an accent is not even genetic so I guess it does not matter but in episodes 1-3 it is made out as if the accent comes with the cloning process so in the SW universe maybe accents are genetic. Anyway, I'm still stuck with source validity. If Wookieepedia is correct then more STs should have had the Kiwi accent.

Hi all. I am reading the stormtrooper profile on Wookieepedia http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Stormtroopersand it says that by 0 BBY 1/3 of the STs were clones. That means that one of every three guys in the white armor should sound like a Kiwi when they talk right? Not to mention the STs in dress uniform. I mean it just seems weird that NO ONE in episodes 4-6 originally had that accent in the whole empire. At least anyone with screen time.

I hate to always be negative but these things just keeping jumping out at me and I can't get them out of my head. Also, does anyone else think the original Boba Fett voice was more menacing or is it just me? I am sure the group has touched on this at one time or another but since I am on the topic of Fett's voice I though I would ask.

Does it bother anyone else that Lucas built an entire subplot around a minor background character. I mean everything from the clone armor to the Mandalorian back story he just pulled out of his behind when he saw that there was cash to be made. I hate the evolution of the clone/ stormtrooper armor soooo much. It is so obvious that some dork was looking at a stormtrooper helmet and looking at a Boba Fett helmet and thought "two great tastes that taste great together. "One of the things I liked about Boba Fett growing up was how mysterious he was. He was a much more interesting character before episodes 1-3 and all the other stuff. I am a bit older than a lot of the folks in the forum so it may just me being an old fart but Lucas has lost my admiration little-by-little over the years and the change in Boba Fett's character is a perfect example.

I love Boba Fett and I think everything about him is pretty cool but I guess I have my own pre-episode 1-3 version in my head that keeps him cool for me. I don' read a lot of the expanded universe stuff and I am not so into the games so if there are people out there that know something I don't I am happy to hear other opinions.

And this is why Lucas is making the movies and not you. lol. if you read my post on the page before this one I talk about how all Lucas has cared about since ep6 is making money. Witch I think is fine I would do the same. Plus I love the mando background and I would rather have Lucas "ruin" it than someone like Travis or one of the many many people who write stupid stories changing his character.

It's true, I'm just a translator living in my small corner of Tokyo living my small little life and George Lucas is, well, George Lucas. It's his world to do with as he will. I guess I just react to the developments of Boba Fett's evolution the same way I react when a Super hero film comes out and the costume looks nothing like it does in the comic. I mean for those who read the comics they know what they want or expect to see for everyone else, they wouldn't really care because they are usually going to see the film because of camp value or because they read the comics as a kid or something like that. What I am saying is that people would still think Boba Fett was kick *** even without all the back story. I just don't see how it helps make the character any cooler and for those people that are not really that into him anyway it wouldn't make a difference. Does any of that make sense?

Does it bother anyone else that Lucas built an entire subplot around a minor background character. I mean everything from the clone armor to the Mandalorian back story he just pulled out of his behind when he saw that there was cash to be made. I hate the evolution of the clone/ stormtrooper armor soooo much. It is so obvious that some dork was looking at a stormtrooper helmet and looking at a Boba Fett helmet and thought "two great tastes that taste great together. "One of the things I liked about Boba Fett growing up was how mysterious he was. He was a much more interesting character before episodes 1-3 and all the other stuff. I am a bit older than a lot of the folks in the forum so it may just me being an old fart but Lucas has lost my admiration little-by-little over the years and the change in Boba Fett's character is a perfect example.

I love Boba Fett and I think everything about him is pretty cool but I guess I have my own pre-episode 1-3 version in my head that keeps him cool for me. I don' read a lot of the expanded universe stuff and I am not so into the games so if there are people out there that know something I don't I am happy to hear other opinions.

Sorry to go against what you said mate, but my family travelled from Osaka and spent all three days at the convention! It was great! We had a blast everyday and we were there from open to close and we were not bored or disappointed at any stage. We went to all the shows and all the forums on collecting and about stuff released in Japan only. We meet and got pictures with Jeremy, Daniel Logan, Temura Morrison, Mark Hamill, Dave Filoni (director of the new CW movie) and Ray Park plus pictures signed by all three fetts to my son Oscar! We spoke to Daniel for a good 15 minutes and Jeremy too. When we meet Temura, my son was cranky, as he is two, and did not want to be in a picture so he said just come back later when he is happy and grab me for a photo!!! It was really nice of him and they were all great with my son! Mark Hamill said he was the cutest Yoda he had ever seen, as Oscar had his costume on. We rode the Dewback, sat in the falcon and sat with Jabba. We saw sneak peaks of the new Clone Wars movie introduced and explained by the director Dave Filoni. We also got to see all three Fetts on stage talking together about the characters they played! We went to the VIP party where all the actors came out on stage and talked to the crowd and got some great bargins at the toy stores. The 501'st were there and where more then happy to be in a million photos with me and my son and I got a bounty hunter shirt with a bantha skull on the front and the "Kanji for hunt for money" on the back. Over all the trip cost my family over 2 grand for the whole weekend and I don't regret spending a cent! I wish it went for a week! I am sorry you didn't enjoy it but don't paint it in a bad light cause you are cynical about Japan! It was rad!

I appreciate your feedback and I am really glad that you and your family had such a good time and I'm not trying to be confrontational but there are a few points I would like to respond to.

1st, 2 grand! I don't have that much to spend on this kind of event, as much as I wish I did.2nd, all the things you mentioned could be done at the previous four celebrations, the photos, the celebrity talks,(which I attended as well), the 501'st etc.

What I was really trying to get at in my original post was how the fan base was missing and there was such a small vendor presence. I talked to one of the guys who owns a store in the states and he has had a table at every celebration and he said that this one was really limited compared to the others. He also said there was not as much "convention only" merchandise as in past events. Also, one of the artists told me that the information they got from the Japan side was wrong and it kept a lot of people from coming because of the cost.

Yes, I have a bad attitude about Japan but I think I am right about the scale, scope and the entertainment value of the Celebration Japan lacking in comparison to Celebrations 1-4.

That being said, I did explain how much I enjoyed talking with Jeremy, I think it is really cool that he still only charges $35.00 for his signature (while "Luke" charged $200.00 and "C-3PO" wanted $80.00)

I know these things are all about making money for Lucas anyway but I just think they could have put just a little more effort into Celebration Japan.

Meeting and talking to Jeremy was indeed very Rad and I am very happy that I got to attend a SW celebration at least once.

Yeah, having it at the same time as the San Diego con was a bad move but the locals did not really come out either and there was very little marketing here in Tokyo. If there had been a new film associated with it, say "Clone Wars," then more Japanese might have come out. They are really into the "new" here and since there has not been anything "new" going on on screen I think only the die-hard fans were promoting it.

I hate to be all negative about Japan but I have lived here so long and I am tired of the crap that I have to deal with and the Celebration Japan was a perfect example. It should have been one of the best. There is all kinds of Japan-only merchandise out there that people wish they could get where they live. I guess this was a Japan only celebration, as in you can only be this disappointed here in Japan at a Star Wars Celebration.

As someone said before, at least I can say I have been to one and I did get to meet and chat with Jeremy.

So although the Celebration was a flop I took away something positive.

I have been living in Japan now for seven years and I have been looking forward to attending a Star Wars Celebration since they began but I have been so far away and without enough funds to travel to the location where they have been held in the past.

So you can imagine how happy I was when I heard that this year it was going to be held here.

Unfortunately it sucked big time. I don't want to get all negative and waste life by going into the details. Suffice it to say, it was more of a small get together than a celebration.

What I do want to share is that I was able to meet Jeremy for the first time and get his signature.

Wow! What a super nice guy! There was absolutely no line at his table, because most Japanese don't care about who was behind the mask, and I was able to talk with him for a while. My wife was with me and I explained to him that she doesn't speak English. He was so cool because he listened, really listened and told her that she should study English so that we can communicate better. The point is obvious that it is so ironic that such a kind person was the man behind the mask of such a ruthless bounty hunter.

He let me take a photo with him and meeting him made the trip out to the convention center worth the effort , time and money.

What I used to like most about BF is how mysterious he used to be. I used to think it was sooo cool that they made his action figure before he appeared in any films, he was part of SW before his actual appearance in the films. That's normal these days. Toys and collectibles come out way before the film does but in 1977 that was weird. I though it was really cool how his first set of armor had very little symmetry in terms of the color scheme, he had green body armor and helmet one red gauntlet one yellow, his cape was all torn up and he look like he had been through battle. His first set of gloves were really cool. He had more wires and things hanging off of him. (In short, I love the original BF design. The one Kenner used for the first carded figure)

What I think was most cool about the character as a whole was the lack of perspective we as the audience had.

Now he has been elaborated past the point of being interesting. I don't follow the comics and games because I don't want to know about BF's father or his past or future for that matter. I was/ am really happy not knowing all the details of his life. The Bounty Hunter series of books are about as far as I want to get into the extended universe of SW. The costume design alone creates its own persona. I really don't need to know what his morals are to appreciate the character. Kind of like a force of nature.

I like to remember back when I was seven, when SW was in the theaters, getting the mail-away Boba Fett figure before I even knew who the hell he was. That was so cool.

Sorry if this sounds negative I have just lost a lot of faith in Mr. Lucas over the years.

There's something that really bugs me about the popular fan creations of Fett's armor. For some reason everyone seems to think the "real" Fett has two red gauntlets. Most of the Fetts I have seen at shows and on the internet are reproductions of Fett from ROTJ.

But I think the really cool armor combo is the very first Fett armor.

I really dig the original gloves and the red and yellow gauntlets. It's cool because you can see his flame thrower projector on the yellow gauntlet. He just looks so much more mysterious. His armor is scavenged wherever he can find it anyway so I like that it changes over time but the old-school Boba fett just looks so damn cool.